We often get the question, how to install a side stick on a joystick mechanic. Markus from Austria has kindly taken the trouble and documented the whole procedure for cockpit builders:

Tools you need:

Wood Saw

Wirecutter

telephone pliers

Dremel (alternative: file)

Soldering iron (15W) + solder

Allen wrench

1. Remove of the original handleRemove all the screws on the handle, (there are two screws below the rubber sleeve). On the bottom part of the handle there is a tap that holds the two parts of the handle together.

2. Unsolder the connector of the original keys of the handleUse the soldering iron.

3. Prepare column for placing the side stick (see image)

Cut the spar as far as possible, the wire with the jack for connecting the buttons should be able to be bent. Remove all in the picture pink inked parts (use a cutter, plier etc.).Finally sand the remaining part of the spar carefully so that you can put on the sidestick. Before you do that, do not forget to remove the grub screw (use the allen wrench) from the sidestick.

4. Solderwires of the sidestick to the connectorConnect the joystick to the PC. Open the control panel for game controllers. Use a Jumper to find out which hole on the jack must be connected to the corresponding cables. This can vary from joystick to joystick, mine was as follows:

Left socket: minus pole for both buttons

Very right and second from right socket: plus pole for each button.

Unplug the joystick. Now solder the sidestick cables to the connector you have unsoldered from the joystick's original circuit board (as described in item 2 above). One red and one black wire together on the minus pole and one red on the one and one black on the other plus pole. Do not forget to use shrink tubing and cut the cables as shot as possible.

5. Check the buttonsPlug the soldered connector into the joysticks Jack and connect the joystick to the PC. Open the control panel for game controllers. Push the buttons and check if the control panel shows that they react properly. Disconnect the joystick from the PC.

6. Final assemblyPut the sidestick on the spar. The farther the sidestick is put on the spar the more realistic is the feeling and the the more power you need to operate the joystick. I have put the sidestick as far as possible onto the spar, it now is only a few millimeters above the rubber sleeve. Ideally, the postponement is very strict and the sidestick holds as good at the handle.

7. Align sidestickand tighten the two set screws.

Bear in mind that the side stick is heavier than the origial handle. So the spring force of the stick should still be very high. The higher the sidestick is attached to the spar, the better. In general this is all done within 30 minutes.

This little box and a lot of testing brought us near to the side base as PnP (plug and play) version. This solution will have an USB connection only per sidebase. Quick and easy to connect without any more technical issues to solve.

So please press thumbs and we soon will have your headache by building it. ;-)

Dennis A. has sent us another hint that sidebase grills are for airconditioning purpose. A look into A320 dokumentation shows that the outlets for aircon are quite near these grills and there are also a few other grills with the same part numbers in the cockpit - also near the aircon outlets.

Pressure equalization seems to be off the table as there are specific outlets for this at other places.

To check theorie: Anybody out there who can start APU and Packs and hold hand to the grill to check if cool air is coming out?

Thanks to Chris we have an additional theory about sidestick area grill. It may be the case that this grill prevents the aircraft from getting damaged in case of a rapid decompression as it allows a quick pressure-equalizing.

We got news about the sidestick area grill. As technicians in MUC found out that there is nothing really behind that grill another visitor took a deep dive into the avionics compartment to find the reason for the existance of this grill.

New theory now is that this is for ventilation of the avionics area and an indicator e.g. for smell in the compartment.

First response to our request concerning the sidebase grill was that this opening is for air ventilation. But this turned out to be false. As far as we could follow our good friend Andy forwarded this question to his pilot colleagues and this topic turned into an expert discussions.

With the result that some maintenance people at MUC (Munich Airport) disassembled this grill to find out what's behind. The result is: nothing! Most probably this thing is for maintenance of sidestick ....

We currently have a lot to do in the background so because in November we want to exhibit in Lelystad for the first time. Until then, the long-announced products must be finished and tested. Therefore, currently many things run from parallel and there is relatively little new to report.

But we have some news from the Side Base. We have promised to add some details, such as the Floor Light and some other accessories. So we did. The ashtray however will not be considered. On the one hand we know enough airlines have expanded this part and on the other hand, our cockpit will be smoke-free - at least from cigarettes ;-)

We have started the construction of the prototype for the A320 sidestick area.

Many months ago we received an email from Dennis, who gave us some really good advice. We would even go so far that his comments have put us in our approach enormously on.

And in the last few days we have just received again an email. Thank you, Dennis - it's the details which make the parts look so realistic in the end. Prototype or not, we will change a few more points.

If you want to test our products please contact us to make an appointment.

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Please note: VIER IM POTT and SKALARKI ELECTRONICS products are in no way affiliated or endorsed by the aircraft manufacturers. Our simulation products are no genuine aircraft manufacturer parts and cannot be used for professional flight training. They functionally resemble the real parts, that cannot be used in a real aircraft and should only be used for simulation purposes.